Fail-Proof Way To Reheat Empanadas In The Oven

A freshly made empanada’s crispy and flaky exterior is still hard to beat! That’s precisely why reheating empanadas is a big deal, mainly because leftover empanadas stored in the refrigerator turn soggy. And there’s nothing sadder, but there’s a perfect way to reheat empanadas in the oven to return them to their original flaky delightfulness.

Why This Works?

• Quick and easy way to reheat empanadas
• No fancy equipment needed
• The result: golden brown and crispy empanadas

List Of Ways To Reheat Empanadas In The Oven: Ranked Least To Most Preferred

The Microwave

The microwave is a great way to reheat anything in half the time, and perhaps even less than that. But it goes without saying that although it takes half of the cooking time, there are better ways to return them to their original divine crispiness. A regular microwave empanada makes them soggy, but I can tell you that this way will get you a hot empanada. Be careful not to overdo it with a cheese empanada because microwaves can quickly burn the cheese.

Deep Frying Them, Again

You could throw them into the deep fryer, but that sounds like a lot of work and excess oil and grease. 

The deep-frying method could work perfectly if you have semi-cooked or uncooked empanadas in the freezer. But throwing them back into the deep fryer might be more work than is required.

Air Fryer Method

Reheating them in the air fryer is my second favorite way of reheating empanadas. The air fryer can reach the perfect internal temperature and work perfectly for unbaked empanadas. The only reason I didn’t make this my top choice is because not everyone has an air fryer, and the second reason is if you want to reheat a large batch of leftover empanadas, then reheating them in an air fryer will take you much longer, because of the size capacity of a standard size air fryer. 

The only downside is that an air fryer can turn the crust a little dry and be challenging if you overheat the empanada.

The Best Way to Reheat Empanadas: The Oven

Reheating leftover or frozen empanadas in the oven that were fried or oven-made gives you the best results. It guarantees a crispy, hot empanada, just like freshly made, and you can reheat a big batch of empanadas at a time.

Suppose you have one of those air fryers that also acts like a toaster oven, a conventional oven, and a convection oven all in one. That also works perfectly! The only downside is that cast iron will not fit in a standard-size toaster oven.

Tip: Reheat empanadas in a traditional oven using a cast iron skillet for the ultimate golden brown and flaky texture. This includes fried empanadas with savory fillings like ground beef or baked empanadas and sweet filling like apple pie or pineapple.

The benefits of using an oven:

No extra oil is required.

See Below for Detailed Instructions

Instructions For An Easy Way To Reheat Empanadas In The Oven

Step One – Preheat

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. It’s a good idea to place the cast iron skillet in the oven to allow it to preheat along with the stove – this should take a couple of minutes. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, that’s ok, and you can use a baking sheet or baking tray and preheat it in the oven. 

Cast irons are typically coated and cured with oil. I use avocado oil on my cast iron. However, if you feel like the empanadas will stick, line the cast iron or baking sheet/tray with parchment paper.

The goal is to get the surface of the cast iron or baking sheet hot enough so that when the empanada touches the surface, it gets a nice golden color and a crispy crust.

Tip! Ensure to use oven mitts to handle the skillet and baking sheet once in the oven.

Step Two – Reheat

Carefully open the preheated oven, and place empanadas using oven mitts and tongs. Tip: you can close the oven doors quickly to prevent heat from escaping. This takes less time to reheat the empanadas and gets great results.

Step Three – Crispy, Golden Brown

Bake them for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, and flip them halfway through. Serve with a spicy empanada sauce like aji picante or a creamy chimichurri aioli!

Next time you have empanaditas or leftover empanadas, remember you have the best way to reheat them in the oven! Whether you have a commercial or regular oven, this is the easiest and best method.

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